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Auditorium HD

Give me any excuse to look like a futuristic knob jockey and I'll grasp it with both hands. Sure enough, this 3D-ified, Move-enabled edition of PC indie darling Auditorium services my needs admirably.

If, like me, you missed out the first time around, an explanation of Cipher Prime's high concept 'music puzzler' is definitely in order.

The idea is to try to reconstruct all the tracks of a song by directing and reflecting coloured soundwaves to the appropriate receptacle. On each 'level' you have a source everything flows from, and by carefully placing discs around the place, you can influence where this flow ends up.

Set the controls for the heart of the fun.

At first, it's all very simple and intuitive. Each disc has a directional arrow on it, and directing the flow correctly involves little more than basic trial and error. But once the game starts increasing the number of discs in play and the number of coloured meters to fill up, this initially calming affair starts showing its teeth.

Unfortunately, therein lies the problem. With its strict linearity preventing you from trying out songs in the order of your choosing, it's a little too easy to get snagged on one in particular. Without even basic hints on offer, you can end up faffing around to no effect for ages.

Still, if you've got the spatial aptitude for it, Auditorium is a swoonsome way to show off wand-waving 3D to your confused house guests.

7/10

Asteroids Do Concern Me

Xbox Live Indie Games - 80 Microsoft Points (£0.64)

Double Rainbows do concern me.

Every lazy desk jockey in the world has doubtless ploughed countless unblinking hours into the time void that is the Helicopter Game. Well, guess what? Those years of stern-faced practice needn't go to waste, and you can finally show the world your finely honed one-button gaming skills.

Released as part of the thoroughly commendable Indie Game Winter Uprising season, Evil Robot Logic's game insists that facing an endless procession of asteroids should not prove to be a concern.

But it would be wrong, obviously, because avoiding these gigantic rocks proves to be an exacting task, with gravity constantly tugging you towards imminent one-hit death. With only a thruster saving you from certain doom, you must constantly judge how much gas to apply. Overcook it by the merest fraction and you'll either smack into the ceiling or snag the nearest boulder hurtling towards you.

So, there's nothing to it, fair enough, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the most infuriatingly addictive Xbox Indie games around. It even tries to offer a smidgen of extra value by allowing you to toggle the backgrounds, including the amusing-but-eye-gouging Double Rainbow mode, complete with flying unicorns but sadly not featuring commentary from everyone's favourite acid casualty Now that would have made it a must buy. As it is, it's merely disproportionately addictive throwaway nonsense.